Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

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Dozens of bills were passed by the Legislature last week during the lame-duck session, many of them during an 18-hour marathon session that stretched from Thursday into the early morning hours of Friday. Here are some highlights:

Right-to-work

Makes it illegal to require financial support of a union as a condition of employment for public- and private-sector workers. The bills exempt police and firefighters.

There is debate about whether the law applies to state government workers. Unions and at least one member of the Civil Service Commission say no. Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette say yes. The issue is likely to be settled in court. State workers are under existing contracts through the end of 2013, so right-to-work would not affect them in any case until those contracts expire.

Creates an authority to coordinate public transportation in southeast Michigan.

It would coordinate the city and suburban bus service provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation and SMART, respectively. It also would spearhead the creation of a bus rapid-transit system and ultimately light rail.

The authority would have the ability to seek millages to run public transportation, but each county would have to approve any request before it went on the ballot.

The remaining bills in the package passed the Legislature during the Thursday-Friday session.

• Awaiting Snyder's signature.

Concealed weapons

The state House and Senate passed a bill allowing highly trained gun owners to carry their concealed weapons in formerly forbidden places, such as schools, day care centers, stadiums and churches. Schools and private facilities can opt out if they don't want weapons in their buildings.

Both chambers also passed a bill that would transfer the power of granting concealed weapons permits from county gun licensing boards to county sheriffs and a separate bill requiring the Michigan State Police, rather than local law enforcement, to maintain gun permitting records.

• Bills await Snyder's signature.

Emergency manager

The Legislature passed a replacement emergency manager bill, called the Local Financial Stability and Choice Act, that the Snyder administration says gives distressed local units of government more options and better financial support than a 2011 law, Public Act 4, that voters repealed at the polls last month.

The new proposed law gives financially distressed cities and school districts four options once a financial emergency is determined: a consent agreement, mediation, an emergency manager or Chapter 9 bankruptcy. In another change from PA 4, the state -- rather than the cash-strapped local unit -- will pay the salary of the emergency manager and other related costs.

The bill also provides improved guidance on how a city or school district can exit from receivership.

The bill did not get immediate effect in the House and is expected to take effect in March.

• The bill is headed to Snyder, who is expected to sign it into law.

Detroit Lighting Authority

The bill would transfer power over Detroit's troubled public lighting department to a public authority that would have the ability to issue bonds to start paying for much-needed repairs. On any given day, more than half of the city's 85,000 streetlights aren't working, according to official estimates.

Also approved as part of the package was a tax component bill that would allow the city to continue its 2.4% income tax on city residents and 1.2% on nonresidents until the bonds for the lighting authority are paid back. After that, the rate would drop over two years to 2.2% on residents and 1.1% on nonresidents. That added revenue would be used for police services.

• Awaiting Snyder's signature.

Downtown Development Authority

The state House passed the bill Thursday. It would allow Detroit's Downtown Development Authority to continue to capture funds -- about $12 million a year -- to help pay for infrastructure needs associated with the $650-million proposed Red Wings arena and entertainment district that Mike Ilitch's Olympia Entertainment organization hopes to build in downtown Detroit.

• Awaiting Snyder's signature.

Personal property tax

The personal property tax was repealed Thursday night and Friday morning by the state House and Senate, saving Michigan businesses hundreds of millions of dollars once the change is phased in.

Local governments were unhappy they were only guaranteed reimbursement of roughly 80% of the revenues they got from the tax, rather than 100%. But they won a late concession under which the killing of the PPT won't go ahead unless voters approve a statewide 2014 ballot initiative related to replacement revenue.

The personal property tax, or PPT, is levied against industrial and commercial equipment and furniture. It would begin to be phased out over 10 years beginning in 2014.

The reimbursement to communities would come from the existing use tax, which is primarily a business tax paid on out-of-state purchases and things such as hotel and motel rooms, cars and telecommunication services.

• The bills now go to the governor for signing.

Abortion

Bills requiring certain abortion providers to be licensed and meet stringent regulatory standards were approved by the House and Senate, as was a bill requiring an abortion provider to make sure the woman was not coerced into having an abortion.

• Awaiting Snyder's signature.

Young drivers and cell phones

The Legislature passed a bill that would prohibit young drivers from talking on a cell phone while driving.

"Kelsey's Law" would prohibit young drivers who have a graduated license from talking on a cell phone. It was named for Kelsey Raffaele, a 17-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie who was killed in a car crash on Jan. 24, 2010.

• Awaiting Snyder's signature.

Elections and recalls

The Legislature passed bills making it tougher to recall state lawmakers by tightening the time to collect petition signatures to 60 days from 90 days. The laws also limit recall attempts to one per lawmaker per term.

In another bill, the Legislature required that voters affirm in writing that they are U.S. citizens. A similar measure was earlier vetoed by Snyder.

• Both measures await the governor's signature.

Health care providers

A bill that would allow providers and medical insurers to refuse service or payment based on a moral objection, religious beliefs or matter of conscience did not pass the House during the lame duck session. It won't come up again before next year.

Education Achievement Authority

A bill to expand and codify the Education Achievement Authority for poorly performing schools did not get out of the House Education Committee.

The authority, created in 2011 through an interlocal agreement, continues to exist and consists of 15 schools that were formerly part of Detroit Public Schools.

The legislation is expected to come up again in 2013.

Sales tax on boats and cars

A bill that would allow buyers of boats and cars to pay sales tax only on the difference between their trade-in value and the purchase value did not get through the state House.

Buyers will have to continue to pay sales tax on the entire purchase value of new or used boats and cars.

Officials had expressed concern about the budget impact of the change, estimated at about $150 million a year, once it was fully phased in.